As news of a Sanders campaign senior advisor’s criminal past is exposed, Bernie Sanders former campaign manager calls the reports upholding ‘systemic racism.’
On Thursday the non-profit news organization VT Digger reported on Bernie Sanders’ senior advisor Chuck Rocha and his past conviction for stealing union funds.
Top Sanders adviser embezzled union funds in 2008 https://t.co/vDMEzeT5Y7 via @vtdigger
— The American Workplace (@WorkPlaceRpt) May 10, 2019
Although Rocha’s criminal record is in the public domain and was even the topic of a 2016 Politico article, the report did not sit well with the Bernie Sanders campaign.
Jeff Weaver, a senior Sanders campaign advisor and former 2016 campaign manager told the VT Digger that by reporting on Rocha, who is Latino, and his criminal conviction, VTDigger was helping to “uphold systemic racism.”
“Sadly, like too many others in our society, the Vermont Digger wants to brand people like Chuck Rocha for life — an attitude that disproportionately impacts black and brown people and poor people,” Weaver said. “This is just another way systemic racism works. It’s disappointing that VTDigger is helping to uphold it.”
Following Weaver’s accusation, Vermont’s independent Seven Days interviewed VT Digger’s founder and editor Anne Galloway on Friday.
Galloway rejected Weavers claim of racism and called it a “bullying tactic.”
“It’s not like we’re a bunch of babies here,” Galloway said. “We have pretty thick skin.”
But, she said, Weaver’s allegation was the latest in a “pattern” of negative behavior from the campaign.
“Weaver has been belittling and nasty to us on the phone, so this isn’t the first time,” Galloway said.
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